Associate Product Manager

Purpose of the Job:

The Associate Product Manager is responsible for supporting the strategic development and market expansion of Black Box's innovative High Performance KVM over IP Solutions product portfolio.  This role combines technical product expertise with market strategy to drive growth in these solutions for customer's mission-critical environments including control rooms, broadcast facilities, and enterprise command centers.  

The Associate Product Manager will support the Product Management team in the all phases of the full product lifecycle roadmap, including strategic planning, feature definition, go-to-market/sales strategy, pricing, segmentation/competitive analysis, and thought leadership for the areas of responsibility.  Serving as the company's subject-matter expert in the designated portfolio, the Product Manager also provides recommendations to the executive leadership of Black Box on which product/service markets that Black Box should expand into, or exit.

Primarily Roles & Responsibilities:

• Product Strategy & Roadmap:
  • Support the development and execution in all phases of comprehensive product roadmaps for high-performance KVM over IP product families
  • Assist with competitive analysis and market research to identify opportunities and threats
  • Contribute to product positioning and differentiation strategies in the KVM over IP market
  • Collaborate with engineering teams to help prioritize feature development and technical enhancements
  • Support OEM partnership strategy, particularly with leading OEM/ODM companies
• Market Development & Go-to-Market:
  • Assist with go-to-market strategies for new product launches and feature releases
  • Support sales teams in developing market penetration strategies across key verticals
  • Help create compelling value propositions and competitive positioning materials
• Technical Product Support:
  • Work closely with R&D teams to help translate market requirements into technical specifications
  • Support product lifecycle management from concept through end-of-life decisions
  • Help ensure compliance with industry standards and security requirements
  • Participate in bug scrub triage to optimize investment in R&D development and sustain engineering efforts
• Customer & Stakeholder Support:
  • Serve as a key participant between cross-functional technical teams, customers, and other key stakeholders
  • Participate in customer interviews and feedback sessions to understand user needs
  • Work with support teams to analyze product performance and identify improvement opportunities
  • Assist with product presentations to stakeholders and customers
  • Support major sales opportunities with technical expertise and solution development
• Business Performance & Analytics
  • Help establish and monitor key product metrics including revenue, market share, and customer satisfaction, product backlog, sales & inventory forecasts, and supply chain/fulfillment statuses
  • Generate required reporting on key metrics in a timely manner
  • Assist with ROI analysis for product investments and feature development
  • Support product pricing strategy and competitive analysis

Skills, Knowledge, Abilities:

• Must possess a solid business and financial acumen, able to plan, monitor and analyze the product portfolio's performance
• Must process strong technical knowledge and product management expertise covering all phases of the product life cycle, from discovery through product retirement
• Must possess strong communication and customer service skills
• Must skillfully navigate a matrix/cross-functional environment, using influence skills to support the team's accomplish mutual goals
• Must have the ability to build and leverage strong internal and external relationships with multiple stakeholders and foster an environment of interaction, collaboration and commitment
• Must be skilled in the core areas of product management including customer use/application, analysis (competitive, market, and financial), product strategy, roadmaps, definition, positioning, value propositions, pricing, and marketing/sales tools
• Able to gather, analyze and use data, facts and input from multiple sources to discern market trends, opportunities, issues, and threats, solve problems, and make timely/informed decisions
• Able to stay on top of details to execute while staying on track with the strategy, vision and goals.  Skilled with setting priorities in a dynamic environment and staying focused on business priorities
• Must be self-motivated with a results-driven attitude, market-oriented approach, and a curious mind
• Able to work effectively in a fast-paced, dynamic environment with multiple competing priorities

Education/Experience Requirements:

• Experience & Background
  • Bachelor's degree in Engineering or Computer Science
  • 2-4 years of product management or related experience in B2B technology products in an OEM/ODM organization 
  • 1-2 years of experience in KVM, switching & control systems, AV/IT integration, or related networking/infrastructure markets preferred
  • Experience supporting product launches and go-to-market activities
• Technical Competencies
  • Strong understanding of KVM over IP technology, networking, and video distribution
  • Knowledge of 4K/5K video standards, DisplayPort, HDMI, and digital video technologies
  • Familiarity with virtualization technologies (VMware, Citrix, Microsoft)
  • Understanding of PCoIP, RDP, and remote access protocols
  • Experience with enterprise security and compliance requirements
  • Familiarity with Agile/Scrum development methodologies preferred
• Industry Knowledge
  • Understanding of control room, broadcast, and command center environments
  • Knowledge of government/defense procurement processes and TAA compliance
  • Familiarity with professional AV and broadcast industry standards
  • Experience with mission-critical 24/7 operational environments
• Preferred Qualifications
  • Previous experience in product management, marketing, or technical roles at KVM, AV technology companies
  • Technical background in video processing, networking, or embedded systems
  • Interest in international markets and global product development
  • Relevant coursework or certifications in product management
• Ability to travel frequently (up to 25% of the time), including occasional international travel.